I recently stepped into the Gewehr 88 world by picking up an 1891 Loewe Gewehr 88/05, serial #289h. The rifle was "Turked" and had a bent bolt handle (serial number was not matching). I replaced this with an original straight bolt handle. All other parts are matching serial numbers.

The screw for the front barrel band appears to have been stripped (threads on the screw, not the hole itself), so I've located a replacement that should be on its way soon. The rifle has a rusty patina to the barrel shroud and part of the receiver, as well as some pitting along the sides of the barrel shroud, otherwise the remainder of the rifle seems to be in fine shape. I'd rate the bore to be in fair shape and still has rifling. There was a small dark spot about 2/3 of the way down the barrel that cleaned out and appeared to just be dirt buildup.

I'm still debating on whether I'm going to fire this rifle or just keep as a wall hanger. I still need to slug the bore and see what diameter it is. I've checked the chamber with a no-go gauge and the bolt doesn't close all of the way, so that appears to be good.